Facilities managers and building owners have a lot on their plates, especially when it comes to building maintenance. They may have many buildings to manage, some of which may be overwhelming in size and require too large a team to oversee them.

In fact, staffing shortages are a common issue right now across the country, resulting in maintenance projects falling by the wayside. One such project is properly maintaining filtered bottle-filling stations.

When teams aren’t fully staffed, and time is limited:

Flushing water lines may not occur as often as it should.

Water filters expire and don’t get replaced.

Non-filtered water may get flagged as non-compliant (especially in states like Michigan where drinking water must meet Filter First requirements)

Sometimes, those in charge of replacing filters are not properly trained to service more complex systems. The good news is bottle filling stations that are easy to maintain do exist — and they can be maintained remotely.

Connected Bottle Filling Stations

For over a decade, Elkay has been providing easier access to filtered drinking water with its ezH2O bottle filling stations. Now, they offer connected models, which can be monitored and maintained remotely. They are engineered to wirelessly send data to an online dashboard within the plumbSMART app. Those in charge of maintaining their bottle filling stations can now maintain them with ease. Here’s how:

Water filter can be monitored remotely to anticipate replacements.

Water usage and plastic bottles saved can be tracked for sustainability reporting.

Line flushing can be scheduled to keep water lines clean.

Data can be accessed 24/7 from any location.

Data can be used to substantiate a case for adding more units

These benefits not only improve the maintenance team’s day-to-day, but they can also result in a reduction of expenses.

Think about how much money is spent on labor that may not always be necessary. For example, routine site walkthroughs may be conducted to check the status of bottle filling stations, drinking fountains, or other plumbing fixtures. Instead, maintenance teams can check on connected machines remotely from their office, home or on the road to make sure they’re running smoothly. This saves time, which is money. It also frees up staff’s schedule to focus on larger projects and renovations.

Connected technology also enables facilities workers to proactively maintain bottle filling stations. Scheduling line flushing events can help keep the system in better condition, which minimizes onsite fixes — this saves on labor and parts. When units are properly maintained, it increases their longevity, also saving buildings money in the long term.

Connected and Beyond

Although the connected component is the highlight of these bottle filling stations, they offer so much more. Elkay thought of multiple ways to simplify filter maintenance, including the design itself:

Change filters fast: Replacing filters can be a sore spot for some — there are machines out there with unwieldy bodies that require too many steps to disassemble them. Elkay took this into account when designing connected bottle filling stations and integrated a drop-down bottom assembly for easy access to the filter and supply lines. This piece requires removal of only two screws, which allows for the assembly to open but remain attached. This innovative design cuts filter replacement time down to approximately a minute.

Automatic filter reset: As people continue to choose convenience, Elkay knew it was important to incorporate an automatic filter reset function. The bottle filling station system detects when a new filter has been installed and turns the filter status display light back to green. Having this light stay green is vital for ensuring filtration compliance in some states and for letting users know the water is being properly filtered.

Filter status lights: A visible display at the top of the bottle filling station shows the status of the filter using a light system.“Green” means the filter is working, “yellow” means the capacity is low and it’s time to change the filter, and “red” alerts users that the filtration has expired and is no longer filtering water.

Industry-leading filtration: For optimal performance, smart connected units are used with Elkay’s WaterSentry 71300C filter, which has a 6,000-gallon capacity. It is comparable to Elkay’s 3,000-gallon filter but lasts twice as long. With a higher-capacity filter, replacements are needed less frequently. All Elkay filters are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 for lead, microplastics, cysts, Class I particulate, sediment and chlorine taste and odor. Connected units can detect Elkay’s 3,000 gallon filter vs. the 6,000-gallon filter.

Paired with Zurn connected solutions: There’s more money, energy and time to be saved with Zurn connected restroom fixtures and backflow prevention solutions, which also wirelessly connect to the same plumbSMART app. This means building and business owners can monitor connected bottle filling stations, flush valves, faucets and backflow preventers across multiple sites, all in one dashboard.

Evolution of the Connected Bottle Filling Station

Public drinking fountains and bottle fillers have been in use since the 1920s, and they have transformed significantly since then. Technology and design have been optimized, filtration and refrigeration have been added, and a greater purpose of being stewards to the environment has become a primary driver for the production of bottle filling stations:

Rapid fill bottle filling station introduced: Realizing the need to minimize plastic bottle waste, Elkay launched the ezH2O bottle filling station with rapid filling. This design evolved from traditional coolers and drinking fountains, which were the norm in public spaces. The addition of a bottle filler provided an alternative to single-use bottles of water. With proper education over the years, there are more people carrying reusable bottles with them to fill up at these stations.

Filtration deemed a priority: With water quality issues coming to light, filtration became more of a priority and was added to more drinking water solutions. Water filters became more sophisticated over time, reducing more contaminants with each iteration. Now, you can find a range of filters that address different needs.

Filtered water needed for the home: As more commercial spaces became equipped with filtered drinking water, Elkay noticed a growing need for more home filtration options. With whole home filtration systems being costly and complicated, and water jugs being cumbersome and environmentally problematic, there was an opportunity for a residential alternative — the filtered water dispenser. Using the same technology as the ezH2O bottle filling station, the ezH2O Liv was created as a convenient hydration solution for homeowners.

Retrofit solutions offered for convenience: Although there was a growing desire for businesses to offer filtered drinking water, some could not invest in new equipment or had new non-filtered units. Instead of replacing them, Elkay offered retrofit options to upgrade what they already had to be able to offer filtered water. Additionally, retrofit bottle fillers were manufactured to upgrade simple coolers to bottle filling stations. 

Enhancements made to simplify use and maintenance: So then how did the idea of “connected” come about? Elkay continued innovating the bottle filling station to make each model more advanced than the previous, each with its own unique features that simplify the user experience. The ezH2O bottle filling station enhanced models work with higher-capacity filters and boast simplified filter maintenance. The concept of simplifying maintenance continued to evolve into connected technology. 

What’s next for bottle filling stations remains to be seen. You may be used to seeing standard bottle filling stations and still — antiquated drinking fountains — in places like gyms, airports and schools. But with the growing need for simplified maintenance, don’t be surprised to start seeing more and more updated, enhanced and connected versions. This concept may work well for your clients as they search for ways to lower expenses, meet compliance and meet sustainability goals.

Vanessa Enyart is a copywriter at Zurn Elkay.